Dick Whittington

The show opened with a confident start and introduced us to our wicked Rat King dressed in long leather and intimidating presence, contrasting with the delicate looking yet bolshy and slightly Essex Fairy Bowbells. A bustling street scene followed soon after with the ever popular ELO';s Mr Blue Sky, where our young eager performers filled the stage with a well
choreographed opening dance number.

Idle Jack played by Beau Hens bounced onto the stage, a true delight in his role, positively glowing in energy in contrast to his namesake and light on his feet. The introduction to his
mother, Dolly Dumpling, played brilliantly by Tom Hennessy complete with a quad of feisty young movers was an utter joy to watch. The young dancers were slightly apprehensive with
their opening number but the hilarity of the scene easily made up for this. Hennessey relished in his role as the Dame and never failed to pull the laughs. It was hard to believe this was a teenage boy.

The staging had been kept quite simple throughout yet was effective in allowing the large cast full reign of the stage. Our hero Dick Whittington played by Charlie Warner was a welcome asset to the cast. Fresh faced with a positive attitude and a pitch perfect singing voice, he was cast well to lead in his role. He was paired well with Tom the Cat played ably by Amy Swallow. Every movement made was positively feline and with superior flexibility was again perfectly cast. Dick and his cat were joyful in their delivery and created an awesome duo. The quick fire jokes to each other from every cast member and to the audience were constant, well delivered and the audience were rooting for the young cast to keep on giving throughout.

Captain Cuttlefish played by Daisy Loerns and Scupper played by Millie Sheldrick made a lovely duo. I liked the fact they had their own theme tune of Captain Pugwash every time they appeared on the stage to set their scene. The musical dynamics of blending song and sound effects really helped to enhance the laughter and suspense throughout the production. Always used effectively and in perfect timing with the action.

Special mention must be given to the duet between Dick Whittington and Alice Fitzwarren played ably well by Grace Robards with Crazy Little Thing Called Love. It showed a real maturity in their performance skills and was a lovely representation of sweet young love. Rat out of Hell led by Olly Smith playing King Rat was a great number. His rat minions were very well choreographed with plenty of energy and some real dance talent evident. Lighting and smoke effects made it truly dramatic. Olly Smith played his evil character of the piece with
absolute relish and the audience loved to hate him, evident with their consistent boos and hisses.

Pace was so well maintained between costume and scene changes we were at the interval before the audience had even noticed. As simple as the set had been kept, what sets and props they did use were completed to a high standard. I particularly liked the shop floor, dominated by its owner Alderman Fitzwarren played by Matthew Creed. Despite the small age differences between the cast members, it was clear he was playing the adult of the show. Confident and upstanding, he held his position well. The song Someone You Loved performed by our hero showcased Charlie Warner's singing talents. He had a very clear voice and great pitch,and gave us a surprising change of emotion to show true dramawhich made us invest more in the inevitable outcome.

The opening of act two, Sailing for Adventure, was a little messy, maybe not quite as polished as previous scenes, and there were a few problems with microphones. Some of the lyrics were lost under the backing track. However this was quickly rectified as we all boarded the ship. The set was very effective, I particularly liked the ship's wheel centre stage, and the ship consistently being steered throughout. This showed great attention to continuity and detail and gave the stage depth. The mop scene was a highlight for me. This was well executed and hilarious, with well organised chaos.  The ship wreck scene could have been utter chaos also, which it was, but also excellently staged.

The Sultan of Morocco played by Marcus Renshaw was fantastic. He played it with such confidence, with a six pack and gold shoulder pads and an accent suspiciously similar to King Julian from Madagascar. His dancers in flowing pink outfits matched his flamboyant personality well. The dance was executed in great unison and enthusiasm. Emily Hatton as Fairy Bowbells was also given the stage to showcase her singing skills.  There was so many elements to this production that worked so well. Each young cast member had an opportunity to shine, even down to the lowly guards. Costumes were spot on, and the performers were so confident in their roles they even used their occassional mistakes as assets to their performance. Pace was never dropped. The choreographer Amy Hart has pushed this cast to the best of their abilities. I would like to have seen Amy Swallow as Tom Cat have more opportunity to showcase her ability, which I feel was honed in a little.   The script adaptations and jokes were delivered well. The cast and crew seemed to know their place inside and out. The director Alex Berriman had a tough job on her hands, with multiple sets, costume changes and many young cast members. This could have been taken over by the confident cast, but it was well disciplined and well delivered. It is clearly a well functioning team heading the group, with a great attitude and without fear of challenging their actors or indeed the audience with their slightly risqué jokes. This was a wonderful production and and they should be extremely proud of it. Well done to all involved.

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